{
  "id": 7515297,
  "title": "Lidl y Dia disparan su crecimiento frente a la estabilización de Mercadona",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/lidl-y-dia-disparan-su-crecimiento-frente-a-la-estabilizacion-de",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-15T08:37:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Expansion ES",
    "slug": "expansion-es",
    "url": "https://www.expansion.com/empresas/distribucion/2026/09/15/6aa8f435e5fdea90398b4592.html"
  },
  "original_language": "es",
  "account": "In the first half of the year, the German chain Lidl has increased its market share by 0.4 points and is closing the gap with its nearest rival, Carrefour. Lidl maintains its position as the unchallenged leader, adding 0.1 points. Lidl stands out as the chain with the most growth in Spain. The German company closed August with a market share growth of 0.4 points, reaching 7.3%, allowing it to narrow the gap with its immediate rival (Carrefour at 9%) and reap the benefits of its significant expansion in the country. As reported by Worldpanel by Numerator (formerly Kantar) on Tuesday, Lidl gains the most in large baskets and perishable items, reinforcing its positioning in a complete basket. Lidl's strategy emphasizes its own brand, promotions, and, most importantly, its loyalty card. Analyst Bernardo Rodilla highlights Aldi, which accounts for 0.2 points of market share, reaching 2.1%. Lidl's market share contrast contrasts with Mercadona's data, which remained the unchallenged leader with 27.4% market share and a 0.1 point growth. After several years of leading growth, this year has seen Mercadona's slowdown, primarily due to customer loss. This loss amounts to 0.8 points, compared to Lidl's 0.5 points growth in shoppers. This trend has been ongoing since late 2025 and early 2026, mainly due to store restructuring, new store openings, and customer loss. Mercadona's loss of customers is unprecedented, even though it is strengthening its focus on its own brand, which now accounts for almost 80% of sales. Mercadona attempted to counteract this customer loss by lowering prices starting in March and May, which are now taking effect. However, in the last part of the year, price competition with Lidl is expected to increase, according to the expert. Another prominent player in the sector is Dia, which has completely renovated its stores and model, gaining preference among Spanish households and growing 12.7% in purchases compared to the previous year. The company's increased popularity is due to its renewed shopping experience, particularly in routine purchases at Mercadona and the specialist channel along with short-range products. Dia ranks fifth by market share, with 4.1%, 0.3 points higher than the same period last year. Its progress brings it closer to surpassing Eroski (4.2%, 0.1 points less), which loses share in Galicia due to the growth of regional supermarkets. Consum also performed well, expanding its openings (now 53 more than a year ago) and increasing its market share to 3.9%, up 0.3 points in the Mediterranean region. Its growth is supported by store expansion, but the data indicates that these openings are growing more than the openings themselves, according to the expert. Carrefour, which had been losing market share due to the penalty on the hypermarket format, has stabilized at 9%. Rodilla notes that the French chain's competitive advantages lie in its brand reference and targeting traditional strategic groups: families with children and senior households. However, households have not yet recovered pre-pandemic confidence, and caution remains regarding inflation. Short-range products (Lidl, Mercadona, Aldi, or Dia) are growing the most, along with regional chains, reflecting the erosion of specialist products. The battle among chains now centers on capturing the largest possible number of baskets.",
  "summary": "En lo que llevamos de año, la cadena alemana ha sumado 0,4 puntos de cuota de mercado y continúa acortando distancias con su rival más cercano, Carrefour. La valenciana se mantiene como líder indiscutible, sumando 0,1 puntos. Leer",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}